Cintia asked Robin Stevens:

I'm an aspiring writer, but I'm dealing with two things: I get discouraged every single day because 96% of manuscripts are rejected, and I haven't had an idea for years, literally. There's too many people wanting to be writers, and knowing there's so much competition just kills me a little every day. When I get motivated, immediatly something appears about the industry that kills it. Any tips on how to deal with this?

Robin Stevens I think what you're struggling with is something that affects all authors, published or unpublished - but it's hardest to cope with while you're still working towards a book deal. Understanding the market is good, but obsessively watching it will just depress and upset you, and stifle your creativity. The *only* helpful thing that you can do is stop focusing on the end product at this stage, and just write the story that interests you most. Do not worry about how it will be sold, or what your competition is - just write the book and ignore the rest of the world while you do it. If you write beccause you think you're telling the 'right' story for the market, you will create something without heart, and it'll show.

You're correct that more people than ever are trying to get published - but although that's daunting, that's also very exciting. You shouldn't think of yourself as fighting with all of those other writers - they're your support, not your competition. Everyone has their own unique stories to tell, and the only competition you really have is with yourself, as you try to make your own story the best it can be.

Basically, what I'm saying is: at this stage, write what you want to and enjoy yourself. Being published is great, but it also brings a new set of problems. If the only reason you're writing is to get published, you'll be disappointed when you find that being published isn't perfect. You have to love what you're creating along the way, to make every tough stage worth the struggle!

Good luck, and don't give up :)

flag